Vehicle-top.



D. G. SAUNDERS, JR.

VEHICLE TOP. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 25, 1915.

Patented Dec, 5, 1916,

DANIEL G. SAUNDERS, JR., OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed October 25, 1915. Serial No. 57,705.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL G. SAUNDnRs, :Tr, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invent'ion, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to vehicle tops, and

more particularly to collapsible tops for air-- tomobiles; the principalobject of the invention being to prevent water that may flow down thesides of the top from dripping or flowing over the edge thereof into thevehicle or' onto persons entering or leaving the same.

i It is also an object of the invention to provide a drain of thischaracter which will not interfere with the folding of the top.

In accomplishing these objects I have provided improved details ofstructure, the pre ferred forms of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a perspective view of part ofa vehicle body equipped with a top wherein my improvements are embodied.Fig. II is a transverse section of the top, particularly illustratingthe drains and their spacing members. Fig. III is an enlarged detailperspective of a part of a top, illustrating a modified form of drainand the combination of an extension member therewith. Fig. IV is adetail view of a modified form of stud.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: 1 designates a vehicle bodyand 2 a collapsible or folding top of any ordinary construction, exceptfor the improvements in the top hereinafter noted.

The top shown comprises the bows 4:, over which the top cloth 5 isstretched, and which is I suitably supported at the back of the body bya frame 6; the bows 4 being ar ranged at suitable intervals throughoutthe length of the top to hold the cloth 5 stretched transversely,without interfering with its folding or collapse when it is to belowered.

As the. cloth 5 is turned over the ends of.

the bows, the top comprlses side portions-7 of l mited. height, downwhich water may flow, which would, unless restrained, drip into thevehicle or onto persons entering or leaving the same, or which might becarried into the vehicle by natural currents of air or by those inducedby movement of the vehicle. In order to obviate such dripping I providethe edges of the top with drain members 8 which are preferably formed byturning up the lower edges 9 of the top cloth, and spacing the same fromthe sides to form longi tudinal channels at the lower edges of the top.

The spacers for the drains are preferably composed of studs 10, havingrivet shanks 11 that project through the cover cloth and through theupturned edges- 9, and carry washers 12-13 that bear against the innerand outer surfaces of the cover body and drain edges respectively, andform extended bearing surfaces for the cloth and for the rivet beads 14that are formed on the ends of the shanks 11 and hold the cloth firmlyto the studs, the studs being so arranged relative to the drain channelthat the bodies of the studs are located above the bottom of the drainand leave channels therebeneath, through which water draining from thesides of the top may flow.

As the rear "ortions of most tops of this character are extensions forthe drains so that the drains mentioned may terminate at thecommencement of the downward curve of the rear curved portions and emptyinto the extenut on curved lines and extend below the ends of the bowsi, I provide sion members, such extension members comprising clothtroughs 15 that may be sewed or otherwise attached to the sides -of thetop by studs 10, as are the drains on the body of the top (Fig. III),the forward ends of i the extensions being attached,to therear,

ends of the body drains so that the latter may deliver into theextensions and prevent dripping at the joints.

In order to prevent dripping at the front of the top and obviate flow ofWater from the top onto the windshield or into the I vehicle, I providea drain member 16, which extends alongthe front edge of the top and isadapted for delivery into the side drains, so that water flowing downthe inclined front of the top will flow laterally along the cross barand into the side drains 7 As forward travel of the car will inducenearward iflow of water through the drains to the rear of the Whiting sothat the con tents of the drains may escape at the rear where it willcause no inconvenience, it is not essential that the front ends of thedrains be closed, and they may, if desired, be left open, as illustratedin the drawings.

It is apparent that, if desired, the studs may be adapted for mountingon the bows l, and for this purpose may comprise screws 11 at theirinner ends, as illustrated in Fig. IV. With this Construction the innerwashers 12 are omitted as the inner washers 13 will bind the clothagainst the outer faces of the bows.

It is also apparent that by forming the drains of cloth of the samematerial of which the top is composed and sustaining them at intervalsthroughout the length of the top, the presence of the drains. will notinterfere with folding or installation of the top, as

the drains may told with the top cloth, and Y may be extended therewith.

It is also apparent that, if desired, the body drains may be formedseparately from the top and attached thereto, as are the extensionmembers.

Having. thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:-'

1. A .vehicle top comprising a foldable cover, having downturned sides,drain members at the lower portions of said sides and foldable with thetop, and spacers carried by the sides of the cover and connected withthe outer portions of the drain members to hold the drain members inchannel form and permit their folding with the cover.

2. A vehicle top comprising a foldable cover, having downturned sides,drain Inem-.

bersat the lower portions of said sides, and studs for holding the outerwalls of said drain members from the sides of the top.

3. A vehicle top comprising a cloth cover having downturned sides, drainmembers at the lower portions of said sides, and studs carried by thesides of said cover and connected' with the outer walls of said drainmembers to hold said walls from the sides of the top. I

4. A vehicle top comprising a cloth cover having 'downturned sides,-drain members at the lower ed es of said sides, and studs car ried-bythesides of the cover and extending through the upturned edges of the drainmembers for holding said upturned edges from the sides of the top, forthe purpose set forth.

5. In a vehicle top, a foldable cover hav ing a trough along its side;said trough betrough to or against the shoulders of the ing foldablewith the cover, spacers 1n the trough; said spacers having shoulders,and means for'binjdin-g the side walls of the spacers to maintain thetrough in channel form when the top is in functional position.

6. In a vehicle top, a foldable cover having a trough along its side;said trough being foldable with the cover, spacers comprising bodymembers, and means coiiperating with the body members'and extendingthrough the: side walls of the trough to bind the side iifills to oragainst said body memhere to maintain the trough in channel form whenthe top is in functional position.

7. In a vehicle top, a foldable cover having a trough along its side;said trough being foldable with the cover, and spacers having reducedportions extending through the walls of the trough and adapted to bindthe walls of the trough to the spacers to maintain the trough in channelform when the top is in functional position.

8. A vehicle top comprising a cloth cover, and transverse, spaced bows,drain members at the lower edges of the cover, and studs having shanksextending through the outer portions of said drains and through thesidesof the cover, the bodies of the studs being larger than the shanks,to space the outer portions of the drains from the sides of the top, andthe said shanks having head members for anchoring the same to the sidesof the top and to the drain portions.

9. A vehicle top comprising transverse, spaced bows, a cloth coversupported on the bows, drain members on the lower edges of the top, andstuds having shanks extending through the drain members and through the.

of, the lower edges of the cover belng turned upwardly and supported bythe ends of the studs to form drains longitudinallly ofithe cover and atthe lower edges of the top.

11. A vehicle top comprising transverse,

spaced bows, a cloth cover fixed on said bows and having vertical sidesprovided with upturned edges, studs on the. lower portions of saidsides, spacing the upturned edges to form drains, and a trough member onthe front of said top adapted for draining into the forward ends of saiddrains.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DANIEL G. SAUNDERS, JR.

